Differences in the Rates of Reading Problems in the United States and Japan: A Search for Causes.

Furukawa, James M.; Sakamoto, Takahiko

It is estimated that approximately 15% of the school children in the United States have reading problems, while only about 1% of students in Japan have such difficulties. A joint study was conducted by researchers in the two countries to identify possible causes for this difference. Subjects were 61 Japanese kindergarten students in an urban school and 57 American kindergarten students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The students were administered (1) a cognitive processing capacity test, (2) a letter/hiragana knowledge test, (3) a letter discrimination concepts test, and (4) a number concepts and principles test. The results showed that the Japanese students scored higher than the Americans on all four measures. The findings support the position that the incidence of reading difficulties in the United States may be attributable to a failure to provide adequate instructions. The findings suggest that adequate instructions, perhaps in the form of a model of teaching, may be one way of reducing reading difficulties in the United States. (FL)